


Poikaer: Pure One

by tinabug



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-01-21 02:25:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1534172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinabug/pseuds/tinabug
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Next time Gandalf asks for a favor she was telling him no. Then again the results were interesting. It wasn't every day you get to irritate King Thranduil and tease a prince.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kagome sighed as she leaned against a tree to rest. She had settled well into being an elf once given the chance to live in Middle Earth after her quest was over. ‘And what am I doing now,’ she thought irritated with herself and with a certain wizard. She looked out over the forest from the tallest tree she could find. She knew she was close to her mission when she could see the darkening of the forest only a few miles away and just a ways from that she could spot the forest of Mirkwood. 

Gandalf had sent her on a mission. The spiders were spreading rapidly with little hope of stopping them. The Woodland Elves could kill them but they only slayed those that trespassed on their land. They did not seek out nests and kill them if they were beyond their borders. This is where she came in. She was sent to find nests and kill them. One small nest had already been found and now this would be her second.

She checked her supplies to make sure she had what she needed to kill them quickly and in large numbers. She had very thin silver ropes that were made to resemble the webs of the spider with metal hooks at the ends so the rope would attach to trees or whatever else she wanted it to. She also made sure her quiver was full of arrows and that her sword was secured to her back located under her quiver. There was also two blades with one attached to each leg. She also had a few daggers and senbon needles that she had personally crafted hidden on her person. There was thin wire laced through her braids that could be used as weapons as well.

‘Well, I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be’ she thought and resumed her trek through the trees. She cursed as she looked up to see the sun beginning its descent. Her speed unconsciously picked up trying to beat the sun. Those spiders were much easier to pick off when they were not all awake. She could also tell that she had caught the attention of the Mirkwood elves, though she knew they probably wouldn’t come after her unless she entered their lands. It was her plan to kill these spiders and be gone before sunrise and to hopefully avoid the elves. 

She tended to confuse many elves since she was one of them and yet acted very differently. It amused Gandalf to no end when she interacted with other elves. It might also be why whenever he was with her they always ended up near others. She couldn’t help but chuckle as she leapt to another branch. Elrond probably hated Gandalf for that as well since she had met the twins, Elladan and Elrohir. Most of Rivendell probably hated him for that as well. 

Her reminiscing stopped as she landed quietly as possible on the next tree. She pushed herself against the tree as much as she could. It was time to put memories aside for a moment and be serious. The last of the sun was going down so she would get many of the spiders before the sun went down but not all of them.

She grabbed several rolls of her wires meant to look like spider webs. She slipped a few on her arms and then readied one in her hand. Swiftness of feet would be required of her. There was only one chance to do this. A quick survey of the area in front of her showed the nest and she found where she could land quickly and hide. She looked back quickly and found she was grateful for the sunset. It was at the exact spot that it cast a glow over the forest. If she was quick enough she could use that glow to hide in. The spiders of darkness would not look that way. 

‘Here goes nothing,’ she thought just as the sunset was at its brightest. Swift feet carried her forward. She instantly began throwing the rope around. She spun from tree to tree hitting her targets silently. The spiders did not even know she was there yet. The darkness was closing in though and soon all of the spiders would be awake and moving around. A shadow moving to her right had her instantly stopping and hiding behind a tree. She looked out and watched the shadow keep moving right past her. It seems she had gone undetected. She looked at the tree she would need to aim at next once the shadow passed when she saw another shadow above her. It seems they were waking up quicker than she had hoped. No doubt the Mirkwood elves were watching more closely now as awake spiders were a threat to them as well. 

‘There’ she thought. There was a space in between the shadows. She leapt to the next tree landing on one foot while she threw the rope to a tree a few hundred feet away. Once she saw that is stuck she was quick to move to the next tree and begin climbing up. Once at the very top of the tree and hidden by the large leaves she studied her handiwork and was pleased with what she saw. She had pretty much wrapped her ropes completely around the nest and all of the ropes touched at one point just like they were supposed to. She would throw this last rope from the top of the tree to hit the ground below and then it was time to make her move. It was only a few minutes she had to wait before she made her throw. The spiders seem to stop moving as if they heard something but after a minute resumed moving around. Most of them were still in the nest and only two or three of them had ventured outside of it. 

She began chanting as she gathered her power to her. This spell would require her priestess powers and elf magic to succeed. Her elf eyes caught a small movement on the borders of Mirkwood. ‘Damn’ she thought as she just knew she had to have been spotted or she definitely will be in a minute once she lit up the whole forest. 

‘It has to be now.’ She took off running, using the longer than normal branch as a spring board to jump up and into the air. Her bow and arrow was already pulled. When she hit the highest in the air she let loose an arrow to make an opening in the nest. She could hear the bows of elves and several of their swords being drawn even from this distance. It was likely they had never seen a show such as she was putting on. The blazing arrow cut the hole she wanted as she fell through the whole she could hear the screeching of the spiders. She didn’t give them any time to react as she landed on her wires and activated her spell. 

The light was bright enough to even make the Mirkwood elves look away. They couldn’t see anything but they could hear the dying screeches of the spiders as the light eradicated them. Legolas was one of the first to look back up as the light died down. As the light continued to die down he moved to the very edge of the border. He could see the figure that had landed in the middle of the nest. He was shocked at what he saw. Almost all of the spiders were dead. There was only about two dozen left. He already had an arrow notched and ready to fire if they came their way. The guards at his back followed his lead and were armed even before they could see.

Kagome really hated this part. She could never seem to be as smooth as Sesshoumaru had been. ‘He never got any blood on him,’ she thought as the light died down. She already had an arrow notched so the first spider that charged went down quickly. She was able to take down three more with arrows before they got to close and then she drew her sword. What she didn’t seem to realize was that they were backing her up. She was going straight into Mirkwood territory. 

“Stupid spiders!” Individually they weren’t so bad but five or six at a time was harder. She let loose an involuntary scream of pain as she was thrown to the ground, two of them riding her the whole way down. She sliced the fangs off the first was but wasn’t quick enough to stop the second from sinking a fang into her leg. It quickly lost its head for its effort but the damage was done. A hiss of pain escaped her lips but she quickly got to her feet using the leg of a spider to throw herself up onto its back where she was able to quickly use her bow to kill three more before pulling her sword and driving it into the head of the one she was on. 

The momentum of the spider carried her several feet before she leapt to the next one bringing her sword down before jumping to the next one. She was able to kill three of them this way before that last one had been able to throw her off. Luck wasn’t on her side as she landed on a tree landing on her wounded leg. That allowed one of them to land on top of her. A brief struggle ensued and she ended up losing her sword. As she brought her hand back to strike it was taken from her hand by another spider. She was able to grab one of her daggers and thrust it up into the spider which created another problem. 

The body of the dead spider landed heavily on top of her and her wounded leg. She tried to move but found she just didn’t have the momentum to push the spider off and it was too heavy for her too wiggle out from under it. “Get off me you stupid spider,” she continued to struggle but to no avail. She knew she could just purify the spider body but to purify the whole carcass off of her would take a lot of power and there were several more spiders out there.

She stilled when she heard the screeching but she couldn’t see anything. She concentrated on her hearing and was finally able to make up the sounds of arrows being fired and elves moving amongst the trees. She was also able to finally tilt her head back and realized the trees around her were different than where she started. ‘Which means…’ she trailed off thinking as a pair of boots entered her vision followed by several more. She then went cross-eyed as an arrow was pointed at her. 

“Drop your weapon,” a voice said. She was quick to comply because if she was in Mirkwood then that meant all the spiders after her would have been killed and it wasn’t like she was going to fight them and fleeing was out of the question with her wounded leg. As soon as her dagger hit the ground she found the spider lifted off of her and gave a deep breathe of relief. She sat up but went no further than that when she found more arrows pointed at her. She glanced over those present waiting to see what would happen and decided to take the initiative. 

Before she could speak she found a blade at her throat. “Why are you here and do not think to lie to me,” It was the voice from earlier. As she tilted her head back the blade followed her neck. She could feel it pressed tight against the flesh without actually breaking skin. He was skilled as she hadn’t even heard him move.

‘And hot’ she thought while bringing her hands up in surrender. “My name is Kagome Higurashi and I did not mean to crossover into Mirkwood,” she said.

“Then what was your purpose here?” the blonde-haired elf asked. He had seen her fight the spiders but that was it. He did not know her mission. Legolas had his sword out as he would take no chances with the safety of those around him with her strange powers still unknown. She looked like an elf but he did not know of any that had those powers.

‘Do not be a smart ass. Do not be a smart ass’ this was the mantra in her head. She took a deep breath before answering as she was actually struggling to concentrate now that the adrenaline of battle had faded and the wound on her leg was throbbing. She couldn’t stop the reaction of her hand going to the wound.


	2. Chapter 2

She grasped her leg as she felt the effects of the poison spreading. Through the tatters of her clothes she could see her skin turning a sickly purplish color. Her eyes widened before going back up to her captor. She knew that he could see the fear in her eyes and that he had glanced at her leg to but he had not let up any on the sword at her throat.

“I was sent by Gandalf to kill nests of spiders wherever I found them. This was my second one,” she decided to answer and was careful on how she spoke minding the blade so close to her throat. Spots were already coloring her vision.

Her muscles tensed as she felt her captor lean down. Not once did his blade move from her neck. She easily caught the frown on his face as he peered at her leg. His other hand not on the blade hovered near the wound. She noticed a few other elves had leaned down as well to peer at her wound. With furrowed brows they studied it.

“She will need to be healed and soon or she risks losing her leg, Prince Legolas,” one of the elves stated.

Kagome couldn’t stop her frown at that. She didn’t think it had been that bad but the pain was starting to almost fade away which she realized was bad. Her thoughts were getting harder to focus as well. She didn’t even seem to realize she was slumping in her captors arm nor that the sword had been removed.

Legolas looked down at the female, Kagome, in his arms after he had peered at her wound. It was serious looking and she had given him the information he asked for and had not fought them. She had even disarmed herself. Her slumping even while captured showed how serious it was. 

“Your leg needs healing,” he stated. Both eyebrows shot up when she responded.

“No shit elf-boy,” Kagome murmured out. ‘That was being nice’ she distantly thought. ‘Besides he was pointing out the obvious’ she thought and then it was hard to think.

“We will take you with us and after your healed my father will wish to talk to you,” Legolas told her. He knew she had heard him even as her eyes glazed over. She finished slumping fully against him. He stood with her securely in his arms and motioned to his men. “Finish patrolling and report back. Make sure all of those spiders are dead,” he then motioned for two of them to follow him back. 

Legolas got a good look at the she-elf named Kagome on his way back home. He had noticed her bright blue eyes as he questioned her but up close now he was able to make out her features. She was incredibly beautiful and fair for a she-elf. Her hair seemed to be longer than many other elves seemed to keep it. Though it was braided he would guess it would fall to her knees when fully undone. She had a small rounded nose with soft pink lips. She was muscled in a way that spoke of training. He also noted the many weapons on her person and even felt some that he had not seen. The healers would take all of the weapons, he knew. He found himself very curious of her person and how she came to be working for Gandalf.

He glanced back up as the gates to his home came into view. The elf to his right took off ahead of him to inform them that a healer was needed and then would report to his father just like he would after handing her off to the healer. He glanced back down as she shifted slightly in his arms. When he looked back up he could already he see the healer, Nestor, waiting for them across the bridge. He was by his side quickly as he knew the longer the wait, the more damage the poison would cause. 

“How long since the bite?” Nestor asked while leading the way to the healing chambers. He had already been informed on the type of injury. His workers were preparing a room already. They were quick and efficient as by the time they made it to the room everything looked in order and Legolas laid the injured woman on the table.

“Just a little over thirty minutes ago as the battle was quick. We came right after as she offered no resistance. There will be several weapons that you will have to take off of her. Send word to father and myself when she is healed,” Legolas then left as he gave the information and made his way from the room. Nestor had work to do and hated when people were in his way and he knew the female would have to have some of her clothes removed and he shouldn’t stay. He had to report to his father as well. No doubt he was already waiting for a report. 

Nestor was quick to search her for weapons and to remove her outer robes. He was a bit shocked but didn’t focus on it too much as the table was filled with weapons. Once he was sure he had them all he had two of his assistants pick up the table and put it outside so the king could know what weapons she carried.  
When he glanced down at the leg wound he inwardly cringed. The wound itself was rotted flesh. The skin around the wound was purple as the poison was spreading and rotting her flesh from the inside out. The veins further down her leg and further up were turning purple showing where the poison was spreading. Luckily it seemed to be slow spreading. 

Nestor found this odd as the spider’s poison usually spread quicker. As he completely disrobed the young female though, he found that it seemed as if her body itself was trying to push out the poison itself. Her veins underneath her skin on her upper thighs was glowing a slight pink as if the blood itself was glowing and pushing the poison back.

It was perhaps one of the most unusual things he had seen. He did not let the discovery stall him but for a moment. He looked up to make sure his assistants were in place and was pleased to see they were. They all had kingsfoil and one handed him some as well. Each one placed it on her wound and Nestor kept his hand right over her wound as they all began chanting. 

A bright white light filled the room as the elves began healing their charge. The light continued on for some time as Nestor opened his eyes every few minutes to check on the progress. Once the wound seemed closed and most of the purple had left her flesh is when he let up on the chanting. His assistants followed his lead. 

Nestor was quick to send someone for clothes for the young lady. The poison seemed to be completely neutralized but the injury still needed wrapping. He was quick to wrap it. He also made sure to feel along the leg and grimaced at what he found. It seemed the poison had attacked some of the muscles in her legs. She was going to have to build those back up. It would seem another healing session would be needed later but forcing the body to heal to quickly at once could come with consequences as well. The important thing was the poison was neutralized. 

Once she was dressed and bandaged up properly he turned to make his way to his king. The Lord would want a full report of his findings. He also knew he would have to explain the wounds to the young woman when she woke up. It would not be easy to tell her the news as it could take a few weeks to build her muscles back up and would most likely be a bit painful at first. He would do what he could to help with the pain but it would be up to the young woman on how long it would take to heal.   
__________________________________________________________________  
Legolas had indeed been correct in assuming his father was waiting for a report. His father was already standing and talking to one of the archers who had come back with him. Just as he reached the top step to the platform his father dismissed the soldier and turned to him. He did not miss the quick sweep of his father’s eyes over his form. No doubt to check for any injuries. 

“I have heard quite a tale, Legolas. I trust your account of events will clear up a few questions I have,” Thranduil stated as he assessed his sons condition. 

“Of course father,” Legolas stated. “We were on patrol for more spiders when a nest was spotted outside the borders of our land. We decided to wait until nightfall to see if they were cross over the boarders so we could kill them when I spotted something odd. An armed figure was spying on the nest. It was revealed to be a she-elf when she began throwing these silken cords around the spider’s nest,” he paused to hand his father a coil of the silken rope stuff. His father took it to carefully examine it. 

He started reporting again at his father’s glance. “She surrounded the nest completely with this (a hand gestured to the rope) and once it was surrounded she jumped into the air above the nest and fired an arrow into nest. It was quite strange father as the arrow glowed blue before it created a hole in the nest. The light seemed to erase the spider silk completely from existence almost as if purifying the darkness away (he didn’t know how close his description was to the truth). Once she landed inside of the nest she activated a spell using the rope and a bright purifying light surrounded the entire area,” he paused as his father held the rope above his head to examine it in a different light.

“There are no spells on this rope though they are woven with magic infused in it. So the light must have come from her,” King Thranduil stated while looking to his son for confirmation. Just as swords and arrows made from elven sword smiths were made using magic, so to this rope was but he did not recognize the craftsmanship.

“I believe you to be correct father. Once the light cleared, most of the spiders were dead. About two dozen were left. She managed to kill several with her arrows. All of her arrows glowed with the blue light. She also used a sword very efficiently. She seemed to have no problem eliminating the spiders until to many of them attacked at once. Her fighting seemed to only be effected after she was bitten. She was then backed up into our territory. One landed on her and she was able to kill with a dagger but could not get the spider off. That is when we intervened. She disarmed herself quickly and answered my question on her identity and why she was here. Her name is Kagome Higurashi and she claims that Gandalf has sent her on a mission to destroy nests of spiders that she comes across. She claimed this to be her second nest,” Legolas finished the account of events to his father. 

Thranduil looked down at the rope in his hand as he thought over the events. He was most curious about this light of hers and wondered how she did it. He glanced up when he heard guards coming up the stairs. They carried a table with them that seemed to be covered in weapons. An eyebrow rose when they set it in front of him. “All of these come from her?” They nodded at his question and he dismissed them.

Legolas was the first to reach out and pick up the sword. He drew it from its sheath as his father came to stand next to him. There were spells drawn on it for precision and to speed along the death of anyone cut by it. The sword was definitely made for killing. The daggers he found had spells on them for protection and to glow when an enemy was around.

Thranduil picked up Kagome’s bow. It was a long bow which was unusual for woman warriors. He also tested the drawback. He was surprised as it was definitely more than a normal female archer’s bow. It was easy for him but he could still feel how much effort it would take a normal person. Even a human male would have trouble drawing it. The bow had serrated edges on the top and bottom of the bow made for up close combat.

Legolas had seen the size of the bow and secretly wanted to try it out later. He decided to see what type of arrows the female archer used. He was a bit shocked to see wooden arrows that were expertly made with designs all over them. He did not recognize the designs. Since the second arrow was exactly like the first one he handed it to his father for inspection. He also noticed the feathers for the fletching came from an eagle which was highly unusual. The eagles rarely gave away their feathers for this purpose. 

“Father, I believe the fletchings are made from eagle feathers,” he stated wanting his father’s opinion on the matter as well. 

“They are, Legolas,” Thranduil stated before explaining, “It is rare but the eagles will give their feathers to those they believe are worthy or to one under their protection. We can ask about her association with the eagles when she wakes up.”  
They both turned as Nestor made his way to them. Nestor wasted no time in bowing. “I have new of the condition of Kagome, my Lord Thranduil.” He waited for permission before speaking.

“How badly was she wounded and what is her current status, Nestor?” Thranduil asked. He had no doubt that she was at least stable as Nestor was the best Healer they had and he would not have left someone until he was assured they were stable. 

“Her condition is now stable but she will take time to heal. The poison has now damaged the muscles in her legs. She will need to rebuild her muscles. The wound was very bad but there was something odd my lord. Her body was fighting off the poison of the spider to keep it from spreading. It seemed as if her blood was glowing to stop its spread,” Nestor explained to the king. 

Thranduil thought over what he had been told about this woman and her strange powers. It seems he would have to meet her in person to form an opinion. He went to stand by his throne as he thought over what to do. His decision was a quick one. “Inform me when she is awake, Nestor. Legolas and I will interrogate her when she is able to talk.” 

Nestor bowed once more before dismissing himself. He wanted to check on Kagome and find her more appropriate clothing to wear if she was going to meet the king. He also needed to stop by the kitchen as she was sure to be hungry as well.

Father and son watched the healer go. Legolas turned curious eyes to his father and questioned, “Father?”

Thranduil sat down on his thrown as he faced his son. “We will question this Kagome when she wakes up. Until then go make sure Tauriel knows to keep those spiders off our land.” He still had the arrow in his mind and was absently running a hand over it in thought. 

“Of course, Father” Legolas brought his hand over his chest and bowed slightly before turning and leaving.


	3. Chapter 3

Nestor stopped at the kitchen and placed an order for food. He was unsure on what she would want to eat so he had several selections of fruits being brought. He also had a broth being brought as well. He grabbed a flask of water and a cup before returning to his patient. She would need it as soon as she woke up.

Her wounds and how they had seemed to be trying to heal on their own had made him curious. He could not remember ever seeing an elf like her before and he had been to both Rivendell and Lothlorien and he could not place her. 

The woman claimed ties to Gandalf though, so he would have to trust his old friend. He knew Gandalf as well as anyone could and while the wizard made strange decisions he was usually a good judge on character.

When he entered the young woman’s chamber’s he found that his directions had been followed carefully. She had been moved to a room with a bed. She was tucked in to the bed quite comfortable and it seems as if someone had already taken and braided her hair. He walked to the table next to her and sat down his flask and cup before turning to check on his patient. 

He was startled when he turned to her and found blue eyes staring back at him. She was still laying perfectly still and her breathing was even but her eyes were open and studying him. After he got over his reaction very quickly he decided to address her, “It is good to see that you have woken up young Lady Kagome. My name is Nestor and I am the healer who treated your wounds. I have brought you some water if you think you can drink it,” he had already turned back to the flask and was filling it though keeping an eye on his charge as she tried to lift herself into a sitting position. She seemed to be having a bit of difficulty doing so.

Without a word, he turned around and helped her sit. He then turned and grabbed the cup and faced Kagome with it. “Here you are my lady. Drink slowly at first please,” he said as she reached up to take the cup from the healer. 

“Thank you for the water,” a pause while she brought the cup up to her mouth so she could smell it first, “and for the healing.” She then proceeded to drink the water. It was plain water with nothing added in. This helped to calm her mind somewhat. 

Nestor watched until she drank all of it and then refilled her cup. “You can drink this glass a bit more normally. I do have some food that is light on the stomach on the way as well. If you think you can handle eating something right now. If not there is also some broth on the way,” Nestor explained.

Kagome brought the glass of water to her lap and stared at it for a few minutes before looking up at Nestor. “Thank you very much for all of this hospitality but I would like to be able to leave after eating if possible,” Kagome said.

Nestor turned to Kagome with a stern expression on his face that seemed to catch her off guard. “I am afraid you will not be going anywhere for a while,” he was cut off by Kagome.  
“I refuse to be a prisoner here when I have done no wrong. What warrants you trying to keep me here?” Kagome interrupted asking. Her eyes were narrowed on Nestor daring him to say they were keeping her prisoner.

Nestor quickly held up his hands to stall anything else Kagome might would have said or accused them off. “Please my lady, I do believe you have come to an untrue conclusion. I do not think you understand how serious your wounds are. Please calm down and I will explain your injuries to you as it will take you a while to heal so therefore it will take some time before you can depart. You are no prisoner here Lady Kagome.” Nestor had hoped he had said what he could to placate her.

Kagome sighed as she realized she had dropped to the wrong conclusion. She wanted to see the wounds for herself but knew that would have to wait. She was clearly on some kind of pain medicine so she could not feel the full effects of the injuries. She would be patient and eat what he gave her. She would then question what was wrong with her and how long it would take to heal. She also knew that if she was seriously injured then she could summon an eagle to go get Gandalf.

“I apologize for jumping to the wrong conclusion, Nestor. I have been shown nothing but courteousness since I’ve been awake and you even went through the trouble of starting my healing. I am grateful for all the help you have given me.” Kagome had looked straight up at him as she apologized but then quickly turned her head because she was embarrassed. She really needed to start seeing a situation through without opening her mouth and to start analyzing every possible reason. Patience would be the key here. She would try to not jump to conclusions in the future.


	4. Chapter 4

‘Who the hell am I kidding here’ Kagome thought as she stared at the wall. She knew she had no patience but she would try. This was why she seemed to confuse many other elves that were known for their control. ‘Even the twins have more patience than this,’ she thought as she slowly turned to face Nestor now that her embarrassment had passed.

Nestor stood quietly by and observed the young one. She did seem embarrassed that she had jumped to the wrong conclusion but he could hardly fault her for that as she did pass out in Legolas’s arms while he had been interrogating her. 

“Your apology is accepted. This was probably not what you were prepared to face once you woke up. If you feel up to it, I would like to discuss your injuries with you. If you would rather eat first though, I will understand. Our king and prince would also like to have a word with you but please keep in mind you are no prisoner. We are merely curious as to why you are here,” Nestor finished his small speech while refilling Kagome’s cup. 

Kagome gave Nestor a small smile as she accepted more to drink. She was grateful for his understanding. That still did not excuse her behavior though. That poison had been strong and she knew had she been left untreated she could have either lost her leg or her life so she should at least try and be patient with her saviors and answer their questions. 

“Thank you for your patience and understanding, Nestor. Without your aid, I probably would not be here now. Thank you for healing me. If you don’t mind, I would love to eat before talking. I find myself quite hungry,” she blushed as her stomach let it be known it agreed with that statement. 

Nestor laughed lightly before turning to the door. Luckily the servant was coming down the hallway with a tray that held some fruit and a soup broth. He nodded for the servant to bring in the tray and sit it next to Kagome. He also let the guard outside the door know that Kagome was awake and to tell the king that she was awake and fixing to eat.

When he walked back into the room the servant who had brought the food was preparing to leave. He could see that Kagome had already pulled the tray into her lap and was happily sipping her broth. She seemed to understand to sip slowly without him telling her. That pleased him.   
Kagome set the broth bowl back down after a few careful sips. She made sure to use the provided napkin to make sure her chin was clean before addressing Nestor. “This soup is really good. Whoever does the cooking is very skilled,” she complimented the food as it was delicious. 

“Thank you. I will be sure and pass the word to Camaeneth. She takes great joy in preparing meals. She would love to hear your compliment,” Nestor said. 

Kagome quickly but neatly finished up her soup. It truly was delicious. She then looked at the few pieces of fruit provided and was excited to see peaches. Her eyes lit up as she joyfully bit into it, enjoying the juices as they slid down her throat. Chuckling brought her out of her trance and she looked up at Nestor with the peach still in her mouth for a second bite. It took a second but then it clicked. Red crept up her cheeks as she slowly pulled the peach from her mouth and swallowed the bite. 

“Sorry about that,” she said in embarrassment. Peaches were one of her favorite fruits. ‘But at least it wasn’t oden,’ she thought. If it had been she would be even more embarrassed as she truly had no manners when it was served.

Nestor chuckled again at the female. It was amusing and refreshing to meet a she-elf like her. It was easy to tell that it wasn’t a lack of manners but rather an enjoyment of the fruit provided. “I believe you should not be embarrassed. Taking time to enjoy a simple thing as eating a piece of fruit is a good thing. It is wise to never forget the small pleasures of life,” he smiled to let her know he wasn’t offended.

“Thank you, Nestor. Could you please inform me about my injuries now? I assume by your concern of me leaving so soon that the news is not all good,” she asked and then began nibbling on the peach as her entire focus was on Nestor. She was going to enjoy the peach while listening to him tells her about her injuries.

As he explained the extent of her injuries and that she was in for some serious work to get her muscles back into shape, Kagome began to wonder if she should send a message to Gandalf. By the sounds of what Nestor was saying it could take a few months to be back at her former strength. Journeying out alone would not be wise. ‘It could be fun staying here though since I haven’t been here before. I could probably learn a few new skills as well,’ she thought before asking Nestor about staying.  
“I don’t see where that would be a problem, Lady Kagome. King Thranduil and Prince Legolas have been informed that you are now awake. They should be here shortly. I hope you feel up to answering some questions for them,” Nestor stated though he could tell her energy level was up enough to answer questions. She would probably only need to stay in bed for another day and then he would let her try to start moving around. He did feel sympathy for her though as the first few days of walking were going to be painful but his instincts told him the female would probably handle it better than most and his instincts were never wrong as a healer.

‘So I didn’t imagine that last sentence as I was passing out,’ she thought while setting what was left of the peach down. 

She looked up at Nestor and smiled, “I figured I would be questioned since I arrived with no warning whatsoever. If I had known I would be passing into someone else’s territory I would have tried to send a warning beforehand. I’m surprised Gandalf didn’t send a warning ahead,” she said as she leaned back against the headboard of the bed thinking what she planned to do to Gandalf in retribution for all this trouble when she got back.

“It’s Gandalf. I believe he finds joy in throwing people into surprise situations,” Nestor said in an amused voice. It was true as well. Gandalf did have a sadistic sense of humor sometimes.

Kagome laughed at that because it was true. She really should have expected it. 

“There is truth to that statement, Nestor,” a voice said and immediately both Kagome and Nestor turned toward the door. Neither had heard it open.

“My Lord Thranduil, Prince Legolas,” Nestor stated while bowing quickly although he kept an eye on Kagome’s form and was happy to see her sort of bow as far as her position and condition would allow. 

Both Nestor and Kagome relaxed when King Thranduil waved his hand. Both the king and prince turned to face Kagome who didn’t seem all that nervous, even with the two studying her.

“Lady Kagome, it is good to see that you are awake. I am sure you are aware why we are here?” Thranduil asked.

“Ofcourse, my lord. I’ll answer any questions you have to the best of my ability,” Kagome said. She knew she would have to give up some information. After all, she was the one who had crossed into his borders but she doubted the conversation could be worse than her introduction to Elrond. She made sure her hands were placed on her lap and sat as straight as she could. She’d at least try and be cooperative and respectful.

Thranduil nodded at the female in front of him. Legolas had claimed she had disarmed herself quickly and had answered her question and judging by Nestor’s calmness, she had offered him no problems. So far she appeared to be no threat though he did want to learn more about her powers.


	5. Chapter 5

Kagome studied the two royal males in front of her. They were two of the most gorgeous males she had ever laid eyes on- minus a demon lord. The one known as Thranduil appeared to be studying more than just her looks as he studied her. She felt like she was being dissected under his gaze. Vaguely, she remembered Elrond trying to give her lessons on etiquette for this particular group of elves but she didn’t remember anything. 

Legolas regarded the injured she-elf in front of them curiously. So far, she seemed to be no threat to them, so he decided it would be best to learn about her. He had only travelled to Rivendell a few times in his long life and he had never seen someone like her. He also wanted to learn about her weapons and where she got them from as they were rather unique.

Thranduil’s grey eyes snapped to Kagome’s blue ones so that he could begin his interrogation. The young woman seemed to sense this as she sat up straighter and gave him her full attention. He found himself pleased with this.

“Where are you from?” was his first question. 

“I live in Rivendell with Lord Elrond and his family,” was her answer. Unless he specifically asked for her birthplace she wouldn’t have to lie. She could probably get away with vague answers or answers that could be construed as true. After all, Rivendell was her home now.

Two eyebrows rose in answer to that response and Kagome suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu. 

Thranduil inwardly snorted at that answer though decided to move on with the questioning. He was far older than this she-elf and he could tell when someone wasn’t being completely honest but he was also infinitely patient. 

“How do you know Gandalf and what was the mission he sent you out on?” was his next question.

“Gandalf saved me about 400 years ago. I was out exploring alone and a group of orcs found me. Since then, he has been a friend and a mentor. The mission he sent me out on was to try and stop the spread of those disgusting spiders,” she shuddered at the thought of those spiders; her memory of her first spider encounter always fresh in her mind.

Thranduil noticed the shudder that wracked her frame and figured it was from a bad memory. He wondered if it was from remembering when she met Gandalf or if it was from the spiders. “What is your conflict with spiders? Unless you are doing this out of the goodness of your heart,” Thranduil stated while moving to the side of her bed so he could watch her reactions more closely. Legolas had moved until he was on the other side of the bed.

Kagome did snort in amusement at that and turned her head to follow the king as he walked to her side. While he was intimidating, she had faced worse. Though she wouldn’t lie to herself, his eyes were unnerving in the way they tracked every movement of hers. 

“And what business would it be of yours if I had a problem with the spiders,” she made sure to stare him in the eyes as she answered. That was a personal question and he had no need of knowing the answer. 

Legolas was intrigued with that answer as his lips curled in amusement. He knew there was some spunk in her somewhere, just from watching her fight. Her fighting style had not been traditional and her weapons were creative and unusual so it would stand to reason she would be different as well. Though, he didn’t think she would exactly talk to the King of Mirkwood in such a manner.

Thranduil’s gazed sharpened at the audacity this Kagome was showing. Perhaps she wasn’t as meek as she appeared but the answer to that question mattered very little to him. He would let it slide for now. After all, the answer would come out eventually. He reached into his cloak and pulled out one of the rolls of silken thread she had used in her raid on the spider’s nest. “If you will not answer that question, then perhaps you would care to explain what this is and its use?” he asked.

Kagome stared at the thin silken threads in the king’s hand and couldn’t stop her smile. “Irony and camouflage,” was her answer.

Legolas let out a startled laugh at that. Even Thranduil’s lips lifted slightly in amusement.

“Indeed. I assume the idea was yours then?” Thranduil asked.

“Well, yeah, but Elladan and Elrohir helped out. I provided the idea and some of the magic but they were the ones who crafted it. Gandalf got a kick out of the whole thing,” and that was saying it nicely. Gandalf had laughed hysterically about it.

“Gandalf would get amusement out of that,” Thranduil stated while staring down at the wire. He continued to roll the thread between his fingers as he thought about what to question next. He finally decided to question about the other weapons.

He turned to the table to the side where he and Legolas had brought in some of the weapons. The swords were easy to figure out. They were easily able to recognize it as being made in Rivendell. He picked up the first weapon which was a thin dagger type weapon but was one piece with one end incredibly sharp and slightly serrated. He then turned back to Kagome to show her the weapon he held.

“This is not a typical elf weapon, Kagome. Is it perhaps a weapon of man as no dwarf would use such a weapon? Where did you acquire them?” Thranduil asked as they were definitely not made by dwarves. 

Kagome smiled as she studied the weapon in his hand. She had adapted a weapon from home and made them herself. They were senbon but she had modified them a bit by serrating one edge.

After finishing studying it, she looked up to Thranduil and made eye contact. She smiled before answering, “These are also my own creation, my lord. I designed them and crafted them myself.” She knew she had surprised the King when one of his eyebrows rose and he glanced across the bed to make eye contact with his son.

“And was there a particular use you had in mind when creating them?” Legolas asked her. He was amused when she jumped at the sound of his voice and she turned to look at him.

If Thranduil made her only slightly nervous, then Legolas downright unnerved her. There was just something about him that made her react. Regardless of how she felt though she made eye contact and gave her answer, “There is. I can show you if you would allow me to.” She then held out a hand to see if they would let her show how the weapon was to be used.

Thranduil stood to his full height, drawing the gaze of Kagome who suddenly looked nervous as she fidgeted on the bed. He glanced back at Legolas who nodded to him with his hand already on his sword. He would let her show a demonstration but one wrong move and his son would stop her.

Kagome new she had asked a lot of them but a demonstration would be better than trying to explain the many uses. She let out a deep breathe that she didn’t know she had been holding when the senbon was placed in her hand.

Those gathered moved to one side of the room. Kagome tried to ignore them for she knew if she saw one of them with a hand on their own weapon she would probably say or do something stupid.

She began twirling the senbon between her fingers as she studied the designs on the wall. Her keen eyesight helped her pick out every detail. One mural was of an elven warrior. She decided to show them how useful senbon were. She brought her hand up and with one flick of her wrist it was airborne. 

THWACK. The senbon hit the small vital area between the armor. It was a quick kill shot.

She smiled as she saw she had hit the target correctly. Her hands returned to her lap to show that she was no threat. She watched amused as Legolas, Thranduil and even Nestor went to study the wall. Nestor was the first to look back at Kagome.

“I can see how these are beneficial in battle,” Nestor stated.

“Yes, they are small and can be thrown quickly and probably before the target even realizes the threat,” Legolas stated while pulling it out of the wall. 

Thranduil turned back to face Kagome and asked, “What do you call them?”

“They are called senbon,” she said deciding not to elaborate any. After all, she couldn’t get in trouble if she kept her answers short. 

Thranduil gave Kagome a long studying look. It lasted long enough to make her fidget, though she didn’t say anything even though he could see the curiousness and agitation in her gaze. It wasn’t until she looked like she was fixing to say something that he turned away. A smirk, only noticed by Legolas and Nestor, appeared briefly when he heard her small huff in irritation. ‘She doesn’t like being dismissed,’ he thought amusedly as he turned his full attention to Nestor so he could find out about her injuries. 

“What will she need in order to recover fully?” Thranduil asked Nestor. He was curious as to when she would be able to be up and moving around. Hearing about her powers had perplexed and amazed him. In order to understand them he wanted her to give a demonstration. Powers such as hers were rare to come across. 

Nestor smiled as he guessed where his King was going with this. He too was curious about the young she-elf’s abilities. He had already witnessed her strange powers attempting to heal her, though he had not questioned her on that. He wanted to wait until he got to know her a bit. 

“I believe the best thing for Kagome at the moment would be lots of rest, my lord. She will then need lots of work on rebuilding the muscles in her leg that the spider venom damaged. I recommend bed rest until tomorrow but after that she should be able to start moving around,” was his diagnosis. 

“How long do you believe her full recovery will take?” Legolas asked Nestor. He was curious about Kagome as well. He also knew his father planned on discovering everything about her powers that he could. Perhaps if he found out how long her recovery would take, he could use that time to convince her to stay for a bit longer. 

“It depends on her rate of healing but I would estimate at least seven to eight months. Her muscles need to be slowly strengthened back up. If she attempts to push herself faster than her body is ready, then she risks doing more damage to her leg,” the last part was said while looking directly at Kagome.

Kagome hunched her shoulders over as he directed that comment at her. She was already feeling irritated. They were talking about her as if she wasn’t even in the room. That kind of attitude always got to her but she was trying to stay polite. 

“You believe she will be to willful then and end up overdoing it?” Thranduil asked. 

Kagome couldn’t help it anymore. It was like he completely forgot the fact that she was right beside him.

“You do know I’m still in the room, unless of course that slipped that ancient memory of yours. You could just ask me instead of pretending I’m not here,” Kagome ended her rant by crossing her arms and looking away from Thranduil. Unfortunately, this put her to facing an extremely amused Prince Legolas. 

She quickly turned away from him to face the wall in front of her but she found no relief there. This left her facing Nestor. His look was a mixture of amusement and shock and also a bit of disappointment. It was that last look that got to her. He had been so nice to her and she told him she would try patience but she still wasn’t apologizing to the King. She had only apologized to Nestor because she was at fault there and he had been so nice to her.

Thranduil turned back to study Kagome after her outburst. Her little outburst had proven that she didn’t like to be ignored. She was also impulsive. 

“I suppose you are fully educated about the wounds you now have and how to heal them all on your own?” Thranduil asked. 

Kagome’s eyes snapped back to the king, ready to tell him off only to stop short as she realized that she only knew a little about healing. Lord Elrond, Arwen and Glorfindel had only started her lessons less than a decade ago. She only knew basic healings since she wanted to learn fighting more.

‘Oh crap, I might actually have to apologize for snapping but he didn’t have to act as if I wasn’t here either so no, I am not apologizing. I’ll make him earn my respect just like I have with everyone else. Hopefully he has a sense of humor,’ she thought. She supposed she could at least admit to her lack of medical knowledge though. After all, she was young so it was only natural to not have accumulated that many crafts yet.

“I might not be fully educated in the healing arts, but I do know that I can’t push myself to hard. Doing so could cause even more damage and set back recovery time. I will follow Nestor’s instructions carefully, as if they were given to me by Elrond himself,” Kagome said. 

She might prank Lord Elrond a whole lot, but she did respect him. He was a very honorable ruler. He also didn’t look down on most other races just because they were not elves. He was fair. To put Nestor in that rank meant that she would follow his rules. She’d rather Elrond be healing her but she could tell Nestor was very well versed in the healing arts.

“That is good news to hear. I am sure you will be back to full health in no time at all with a positive attitude like that,” Nestor stated. He found himself greatly amused with the she-elf. ‘The upcoming months should be quite interesting,’ he thought as he turned to gather fresh bandages and herbs for her leg. 

“My Lord Thranduil, Prince Legolas, if you are done questioning her for the moment, I believe it is time to change her bandages,” Nestor stated. He could tell Kagome was feeling stressed out and wanted to give her a break from being questioned. 

“Of course, Nestor,” Thranduil stated to the healer. He nodded to his son and they both left the room. The irritated huff he heard leaving the room brought a smirk to his face and a quick glance showed the same expression on his son’s face. Both paused outside the room for a moment to listen.

Nestor was amused by Kagome’s obvious irritation about being dismissed completely. He brought the bandages by the bed and couldn’t help but add, “The king does make an excellent observation, my lady,” there was laughter in his voice as he said this.

“Oh,” Kagome said losing her expression of irritation and turning towards Nestor, “and what observation is that?” She was truly curious on that.

“You do seem to be very willful,” Nestor stated though you could tell that wasn’t a bad thing by the way he was smiling.

Kagome laughed as that pretty much did sum her up perfectly. Elrond and Gandalf had used that term so many times so to hear it from both Nestor and Lord Thranduil amused her.


	6. Chapter 6

Kagome winced as she got her first glimpse of her wounded leg. A hiss escaped her lips as Nestor pulled the last little bit of wrapping off. She then grimaced as she studied the wound. It looked deformed, as if parts of her leg were sunk in. She could definitely see where her muscles had been attacked. It was going to take months for the muscles and tissues of her skin to grow back in normally and then on top of that she was going to have to strengthen those muscles back up.

“Apologies, Kagome,” Nestor said as he tossed the used gauze away. He then returned to the bed and set out the paste that needed to be applied before it could be wrapped again.

Kagome smiled at Nestor before replying, “That’s alright. It had to be done. I want to thank you again for your care. If it looks this bad now, then I can only imagine how bad it was before treatment.”

“I hope this does impart to you about how serious you need to take your healing, Kagome. It will take many months of hard work and I imagine it will be painful at first,” Nestor hoped that talking would help distract her as he applied the paste and then rewrapped the wound. The paste would numb her but it would take a minute or two to kick in fully.

“I meant what I said before, Nestor. I will follow your instructions as if Lord Elrond gave me them himself,” Kagome said as she settled back into the bed. Since her interview was over, she laid back down fully. She had a feeling that he was about to give her some more pain medicine anyways, so she would probably be sleeping for a few hours. While she had many questions she wanted answered, she knew that in this instance she needed to heal first.

“I am glad to hear that. Lord Elrond is a wise man, so I hope you do listen to him,” Nestor stated as he began putting the unused wrapping away to be used for later. He then walked over to refill Kagome’s cup and added some powdered herbs to it. They would insure she had a nice long healing rest.

Kagome smiled at Nestor as he returned to her bedside. “Elrond is very wise. I always take his words to heart,” she said as she grabbed the cup from Nestor. Her voice was soft as she spoke about Elrond. The man had taken her in and helped her learn about this world. Besides Gandalf, he was the only one to truly know her whole story, though the twins knew some of it. He was like a father to her.

Nestor watched Kagome as her expression seemed to change as she drank her medicine. Her face gained this soft look as her eyes seemed far away. It was the face thinking of someone very important to them. “He must be very important to you then,” he stated, hoping she would reveal what her connection to them was.

Kagome gave a soft hum as she gave Nestor the empty drink back. “He is. He has been like a father to me for close to 400 years,” she said as she wiggled deeper into the bedding to get comfortable. She could already feel the effects of the medicine.

Nestor gave the young woman a sad smile, though she did not see it. “Then I am honored when you say you will heed my advice like you would his. I will make sure and send him a message about your injuries,” he said as he finished putting away supplies.

“Thank you,” Kagome whispered out as she closed her eyes. She knew that if he sent out a message then either Elrond or one of her brother’s would come and visit. It would be a relief to see them after so long, though she wasn’t looking forward to letting them know she let herself get injured. Her last thoughts were about seeing her family again as the medicine kicked in fully and she was out.

Nestor finished putting everything away and gathered the food dishes to be taken to the kitchen. Once he had everything done he took one last glance at his patient to ensure she was resting comfortably. He then left the room to retire for the night.  
__________________________________________________________________________

Thranduil and Legolas waited outside the door for a moment longer to see if anything else would be said. They stayed listening at the door until Kagome admitted seeing Elrond as a father. They also heard that he would send a message to Elrond about Kagome’s condition. After hearing all of this they decided to leave to discuss it and to decide on whether they would allow her to stay or leave.

She obviously needed time to heal. He was truly curious about her powers though and knew the only way to find out about them would be to have her here where he could study her powers and find out what kind of person she was.

“Father, I believe we should allow her to stay. She was compliant when we asked her questions. She may have been vague but she never outright lied and she did kill those spiders that would have eventually crossed over and attacked us. Her powers are also most curious. Since she doesn’t seem hostile or a threat, then she could stay and show us her powers,” Legolas said to his father.

Thranduil seemed to ponder his son’s words as he thought through all of the scenarios that could happen if he allowed the young woman to stay. He and his people were pretty much separated from the other groups of elves but he was still on good terms with Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn. Perhaps he could use this opportunity to gain a closer relationship with Lord Elrond and his people. He was also very curious about this woman as she was a mystery.

“I agree. Her being here has many advantages to us. The first obstacle will be Lord Elrond, though I don’t believe he will want her moved until she is fully healed. I believe we have a lot that we could learn from her as well. Her powers are unique and not something we could learn but her skill with making unique weapons and being able to imbue them with power is a talent we could learn from her. Perhaps if you were to spend some time with her as she heals, then you can find a way to see if she will stay longer,” Thranduil stated, giving his son a side glance at his last suggestion.

Legolas seemed to think that over for a minute. He realized that some of the other elves would not get along with her as well as the others. She was very outspoken for a female and had no problem speaking her mind. He then realized that it could be fun getting to know her and a challenge. “I believe that is a good idea father. I can show her around our home and tell her about our culture. I believe it would also be a good idea to have Tauriel spend some time with her. There are not many she-elf warriors, so they have a lot in common,” Legolas said as he opened the door to the study for his father. Once his father entered, he walked in and made sure the door closed to keep prying ears out.

“That is a good idea, my son. In the meantime, perhaps you could offer her a few books to keep herself occupied while she is healing,” Thranduil stated as he set down at his desk and used his hand to gesture the books on the bookcase across from him.

Legolas went to stand in front of the books to see what options there were. His father loved reading and had the books changed regularly.

“Hmm. She did say that she was only recently into healing so perhaps she will enjoy some books on that subject,” he said aloud as he grabbed a few that he saw.

“A good choice my son,” Thranduil stated glancing up at his son. He found himself proud of his son. He was learning how to read others and to try and anticipate their needs and wants. It was small moments like this that he felt pride in how his son was growing.

“Thank you, father,” Legolas said. He understood his father’s unspoken words as well. Having small moments like this with his father were moments that he treasured. He then proceeded to pick out four books that he hoped Kagome would find interesting. He knew that she would like the one on herbs as it was about herbs that only grew in their region. The second book talked about focusing one’s true self and using your energy to heal others. The third was a book of ailments and diseases and how to treat them. The fourth book was a little more unique as it covered the illnesses and cures for dwarves and hobbits as well as man.

Thranduil noticed when his son had picked out the books he wanted so he called him over to the desk. “I believe we should write a message to Lord Elrond. I will extend an invitation, stating that she is welcome here as long as she wishes to stay. Perhaps if would be helpful if you write and explain to him how you saw her injured firsthand by the spiders. I will also send a message to Gandalf and perhaps he can explain why he sent her alone to hunt these spiders,” Thranduil stated as he laid down several blanks scrolls and ink.

Legolas hummed in agreement as he sat down across from his father and began his own scroll. He agreed with his father that it would be wise to include all information they had about the incident to Lord Elrond before it got to him from another source. It would also be a show of good will.  
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

&&&&&Kagome’s Dream Sequence (Her memory of meeting Lord Elrond for the first time)&&&&

“Kagome,” Gandalf hollered at the young she-elf to get her attention. She was far up the tall tree, but he knew that with her elven hearing that she would hear him. He leaned patiently against his staff as he knew she would make him wait for a few moments before she came down.

Kagome stared down at Gandalf in a contemplating manner. The last time he had called upon her, she had found herself up to her neck in fighting orcs. After a few moments of thinking, she decided she would humor him. ‘After all, every time he’s comes around, at least I’m not bored,’ she thought as she fell to the ground.

“What do you need my help with this time, Gandalf?” she asked suspiciously. Sometimes his version of easy and fun did not mix with her version of easy and fun.

Gandalf chuckled in amusement as he knew exactly where her thoughts were going. This time though was different. “I merely require a companion so that I can go and visit with an old friend of mine. I thought you would enjoy the destination,” he was purposely leaving out vital information because he knew her curiosity would always be her weakness.

Kagome eyed Gandalf, trying to figure out if he was being honest or not. “And just who is this old friend of yours? It’s not Radagast again, is it?” While she didn’t dislike the other wizard, he was still probably upset with her. She had accidently turned his cottage a bright orange last time she was there. She had only been trying to patch a whole in the roof.

“No, my dear. We will be going to visit an old friend of mine that you have yet to meet,” he said while purposely leaving off the name again.

“And just where is this old friend of yours located?” she asked with her voice tinged with aggravation. Trying to get information from Gandalf was pointless as he didn’t give away anything until he was good and ready to.

“Rivendell,” he stated before turning and walking away.

Kagome gaped at his back as he just walked away.

“Whoa, whoa! You mean the elven city Rivendell, correct?” she asked as she sped up to be beside Gandalf.

Gandalf smiled as he looked down at Kagome. She was practically bouncing in excitement. Ever since he had told her about there being cities of elves, she had wanted to visit one, as she had only met other elves sporadically. He had wanted her to be better educated on elven culture before he took her into a city, so he had been bringing her scrolls to study. He had enough confidence in her now to think she was finally ready for it and Elrond was one of the most open minded elves and he would take her presence much better than some of the others.

The journey to Rivendell was full of Kagome asking Gandalf every question she could think of. He told her all about the customs and way of life but was incredibly tight lipped about this Elrond guy, though he did mention that he was a father to two male twins and one female. He even told her she would likely get along with all three but that was all he was willing to tell her. She found herself annoyed with this but didn’t really complain since she was so close to getting to be in an elven city.

The anticipation built up, the longer they travelled. It was when she was finally about to drive Gandalf crazy, that she saw it in the distance.

“Gandalf,” she breathed out in awe, as she stood atop a hill, “Is that Rivendell?” she asked while pointing ahead. 

Gandalf was soon to join her atop the hill, though he knew what she was seeing. As he leaned on his staff though, he could understand her awe. Rivendell was a gorgeous city and even made him pause every time before he entered it. 

Gandalf’s hand landed on Kagome’s shoulder as he made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the city, “This is Rivendell.”

‘Breath-taking,’ she thought. With her stronger vision, she was able to make out a group of elves just waiting at the entrance of the city. They were pointing at them and then blowing what she assumed was a horn. She could vaguely hear its call. A smile crossed her face as she turned to Gandalf excitedly, “Come on you old wizard. Keep up.” She then took off towards the city at a faster pace. She wasn’t exactly running, but it was close.

Gandalf huffed in irritation and amusement. He was definitely looking forward to this trip more so than any other in the past, which was saying something. He always enjoyed his time in Rivendell and he hoped that Kagome could fall in love with the city as he had. He worried for her many times. He knew she was lonely as the only company she kept on a regular basis was himself, Radagast and the Eagles. She met people on her travels but had no connections with them.

As they got closer, Kagome slowed down as her excitement waned and she got nervous. The only large city she had been in had been a human settlement. This gave Gandalf plenty of time to be slightly ahead of her. She wanted to be behind him so he could greet his friends and then he could introduce her.

As they were almost upon the city and the awaiting entourage, Kagome could make out what was apparently the leader, which meant he was Lord Elrond. Behind Lord Elrond, stood what had to be his children. There were two twin males that she found she instinctively liked. They both sported mischievous grin and were studying her intently. Their auras were also some of the brightest she had ever seen. The third was another she-elf and she knew by her aura that they could be friends as well. Her aura was bright with kindness. Her studying of them was cut short when Elrond greeted Gandalf.

“Gandalf,” Elrond happily greeted as he came up to stand by Gandalf.

“Elrond,” Gandalf greeted back just as enthusiastically as he reached out to shake the hand of his old friend.

“It is good to see you, my friend. I assume, as always, your visit has a purpose?” Elrond asked. He was used to Gandalf coming with a purpose as many times that purpose just happened to be some advice or to help someone that Gandalf decided needed helping. He wondered if it happened to do with the she-elf behind him, though he did find the she-elf’s shyness a curious thing.

“Ah,” Gandalf started out as he leaned back to study his old friend, “You are right. I did come with a purpose. I brought someone that I though you should meet,” he said and then moved so everyone could see Kagome. Gandalf then nodded his head to Kagome, indicating she should move up beside him and she did so a little nervously but with a smile on her face.

“Lord Elrond, I would like to introduce Kagome to you,” Gandalf said while he put his hand on Kagome’s shoulder. He knew she would need the comfort and it would help ease her nerves.

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kagome,” Elrond said while studying her.

Kagome gave a bright smile in response before giving her response, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lord Elrond.” She was looking to forward to getting to know him and his family and exploring Rivendell. She just had a great feeling about this place.

“Now that introductions are made, I believe we should find somewhere more private to speak, old friend,” Gandalf said to Elrond who quickly agreed and he led Kagome and Gandalf to his study.


	7. Chapter 7

Kagome woke up feeling much better than the last time she had been awake. The first thing she noticed was that a fresh bandage had been applied to her leg, which was probably helping with the pain. The second thing she noticed was a glass filled beside her bed. She quickly drank it, as she knew it had herbs in it for pain and she knew she would need it. The third thing that she noticed was a stack of books on the bedside table. 

Her first thought was to wonder who brought them but then she spotted a piece of parchment lying on top of the books. Since it was within easy grabbing distance from where she was laying, she reached over and grabbed it. To her surprise, the letter and the books were from Legolas. In the letter he explained that he thought she would enjoy them and it would give her something to do while being bed ridden. He also gave a brief description of each book and she found herself looking forward to studying them all.

She gave a small smile before returning the letter to atop the books. She yawned as she could already feel the herbs working. Her last thoughts before going back to sleep was that she would have to thank Legolas for the books. She would also have to thank Nestor for coming in and keeping the paste clean on her wounds since it was doing wonders in suppressing the pain. She wanted to learn how to make that paste was her very last thought as she fell fully asleep under the effects of the drugs.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Dream sequence below will warn when is over by marking the end of dream sequence

Kagome crouched down just outside the window, two others beside her. They were waiting on the weapon’s smith to come back into his workroom. Kagome had requested to use it to make a few weapons and the weapon’s smith told her that she could not. When she asked why not, he had told her the reason was because she was a woman. As anyone can imagine this had pissed her off, so instead of attacking the man outright she had come up with another plan. Elladan and Elrohir had struck her as kitsunes in disguise when she met them and time here had proven that. She had become quick friends with them and so she went to them with a plan. They had quickly agreed and executed the plan. Now they were hiding outside the window waiting to see the weapon’s face when he came back to see his workroom.

All three crouched down even more when they heard the door opening but made sure they could see when the door was opened. The door was now opened but the weapon’s master had yet to see their handy work as he had pushed the door open with his foot and was using his backside to open the door. He had a bag of weapons that he was trying to bring in. The wait was worth it though as the weapon’s master turned, he shrieked in outrage and ended up dropping his bag which caused its contents to spill out all over the floor.

“No…No…NO,” the weapon’s master shrieked. ‘How could this happen. Who would do such a thi,’ he stopped mid thought as he realized who did this. “Elladan, Elrohir,” he bellowed out as he turned and took off from his shop, looking for those responsible.

“Wow. He’s not very smart,” Kagome said causing the twins to laugh and somewhat agree.

“In his defense, we usually are the ones responsible for the pranks play around here,” Elladan pointed out in between laughing about the response. ‘Who knew an elf’s face can reach that shade of red when they are angry,’ Elladan thought while laughing. 

“But still, I agree with Kagome. I mean she did turn all of his weapon’s pink the day after he told her she couldn’t because she’s a woman,” Elrohir said in between his own laughter. While they usually did small pranks here and there, they had never pulled this particular prank before and they had also never used pink before in any prank. ‘But I have to admit, this one turned out perfectly,’ Elrohir thought as he took one last glace at all those pink weapons. 

The twins quickly ushered Kagome away and they all went to the library to pretend to have been doing something. This should give them a few hours before their father came looking for them for an explanation. They also knew their father would need the time to compose himself because he was bound to find the whole thing funny as well.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxx End of Dream Sequence XXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kagome felt herself waking up as the bandage on her leg was being changed. Luckily the pain killers were still working as she felt little discomfort. A small smile appeared on her face as she realized what she had dreamed of. It was one of her happier memories from being in Rivendell. She had even forgotten about her leg until Nestor spoke.

“I did not mean to awaken you, Kagome, though at least your dreams seem to be pleasant based on that smile on your face. Would you mind telling me what brought such a look to your face?” Nestor asked curiously. The smile was wistful so he assumed it was either a pleasant dream or a pleasant memory. Before she could answer though, he offered her more herbal tea. He wanted to keep her pain to a minimum for now because once she started rehabilitating her leg, then he could not give her such strong doses to help the pain. She would need plenty of rest as well to deal with the trying time ahead. He also didn’t point out that Prince Legolas was in the room as well since he wanted to check up on her injury and to see if she had found his books that he left.

Kagome gave another small smile after finishing off her medicine. She decided to tell him about the memory. Once she told him about the dream, she decided to elaborate on it. “It was hours later, when Lord Elrond found us. He called us into the study along with the weapon’s master. Once the master saw me in there, he realized I had planned the whole thing. Luckily, Lord Elrond is fair and asked me to explain myself. Once he heard that the weapon’s master refused to allow me access to his shop, he was angry and told the weapon’s master it was a fitting punishment since Lord Elrond had already told me I could use it,” there was a smile on her face as she thought back to that day.

Nestor tried to hide his amusement by gathering up his supplies but in the end he couldn’t and started laughing. 

Kagome ducked her head in slight embarrassment as she heard him laugh. She hadn’t even looked at him once he moved to the foot of the bed. She had been staring out at the wall, imaging the scene as she told it. Her head snapped up once she heard a different voice laughing. Her eyes widened when she saw Prince Legolas standing there. “You heard the whole thing?” she asked in shock.

Legolas quit laughing long enough to answer, “Yes and I must say I think your form of revenge was most fitting. Based on the unique weapons that you created and the fact that you were able to imbue them with power and even able to work with someone else and imbue your powers with theirs shows how much skill you have. Perhaps now that weapon’s master will wait for proof before judging someone.” With just this one story, he knew that he wanted to know more about her. He had heard of the twin’s proclivity for mischief and if she was involved he was sure there would be many great stories to hear.

Kagome gave a small smile at hearing that. “Once he saw what I was capable of, he pretty much left me alone but I believe he eventually warmed up to me as well. I never ran out of supplies after that but no one would tell me where the supplies came from. I just accepted it after a while and when I would finish a creation, he was always the second one to see if after Lord Elrond. He also started teaching me his own techniques. I think it was his way of apologizing,” she said.

“That does sound like him. Now if you’ll excuse me, Lady Kagome. I have some other duties to attend to. Prince Legolas, please keep the visit short as her medication will have her sleeping shortly. She will be up to visitor’s next time she is awake,” Nestor explained. He then bowed to his prince and then left quickly. He knew his prince wanted a moment of her time before she fell asleep and he didn’t want to be in the way of that.

Legolas watched Nestor leave before turning his attention back to Kagome, whom was curiously staring at him. She was probably wondering why he was here. He gave a small smile as he came to sit in the chair next to her bed and decided to explain himself, “I just wanted to check and see how your injury was healing and to make sure you found the books that I left. I hoped I picked out some interesting topics for you.”

Kagome nodded her head before replying, “Thank you for stopping by to check on me. I must admit that you did pick out some interesting books. I have not read any of them before.”

“I am glad. I hoped they could help alleviate some of the boredom from having to remain bedridden for so long. Once you finish those, we have lots more to choose from if you would like,” Legolas told her.

Kagome smiled at that. She actually loved reading and it was very thoughtful of him to think of her. “I’d like that very much. I love reading. Perhaps when I am able to walk around better, you could show me the library, if possible,” she said. It would definitely be something to help with the boredom. If would also give her a chance to explore. Rivendell was the only Elven city that she had been in. She had heard of the others but had never been. 

“As soon as Nestor clears it, I don’t see a problem. We have a large library here,” he told her and could see her eyes starting to lose focus. The medicine was kicking in so he wanted to inform her of the last thing he came to tell her. “Father wanted me to inform you that you a welcome guest and that you are welcome to stay as long as you would like. He has also sent a message to Lord Elrond so that he can be informed about your injuries. Once you are awake long enough, I will bring you some supplies so you can write to him yourself. I am sure he would feel much better hearing directly from you after hearing about your injuries,” Legolas told her. 

Kagome let out a small groan that was interrupted by a yawn. “Thank you. I wouldn’t mind staying and exploring, since I have never been here before. You are correct in that I should write Elrond and inform him of my injuries, myself. I should let you know, that he will probably send someone to check on me though. It will probably be Elladan or Elrohir. I hope that’s okay,” she finished with another yawn as she snuggled into the covers.

Legolas could sense she was falling asleep so stood up. “That will be fine. It would only be natural to check on you after such an injury. I’ll go inform father that we may have more guests soon then, Kagome. Try and get some more sleep,” he said quietly and then let himself out.

He then made his way to his father’s study to inform him of the possibility of guests coming. Once he knocked and entered, he told his father of the news. He also informed him of Kagome’s dream which was a memory.

Thranduil had already considered the possibility of someone coming to check on Kagome from Rivendell. After all, Kagome viewed Elrond as a father figure so it was logical to assume that Elrond would view her as a daughter. 

“You won’t mind her using the library, will you, Father? She says she enjoys reading. She also wishes to explore,” Legolas told his father as he watched him closely. He could tell his father was deep in thought. 

Thranduil was pleased to hear that Kagome wanted to explore his realm. It would seem they would have to do nothing to get her to stay. Before he granted her permission to roam freely though, he wanted his son’s thoughts on a few matters. “Legolas, what do you think of her so far? Do you believe she would be a threat to us?” He had his own thoughts on the matter but wanted his son’s input.

Legolas thought over his answer very carefully before answering. He ran over all the meetings he had with her up to this point and how she had interacted with him and everyone else. “I don’t believe she is a threat to us. She may have strange and unique powers but she has displayed no hostility towards us at all. She also holds very close ties to Lord Elrond and Gandalf and neither one of them are our enemies. I believe she is truly curious about our realm. Perhaps, as she learns about our culture here, we can learn more about her,” he told his father. 

Thranduil was proud of his son. “I believe you are correct son. While she appears willful and perhaps stubborn, I doubt she is any threat to us. Once she is up and able to receive company, have her introduced to Tauriel. If you can think of any others that she would get along with, then introduce them as well. Nestor would be of help in that area as well,” he told his son.

“Of course, father. I will go and talk with Tauriel now,” he said and then bowed to his father and then left. He figured she would get along with Tauriel the best but he had a few others in mind that would get along with her as well. 

Author’s Note: Sorry that it’s been slow going so far but next chapter she will finally start interacting with Legolas, Thranduil, Tauriel and the other elves of Mirkwood.


End file.
